River Bar Expands Its Menu
Whole grilled fish at River Bar. Photo courtesy of Brian Samuels.
River Bar only opened in November, but chef Patrick Gilmartin (formerly of Staff Meal truck and Rialto) has already decided to push the envelope in regards to his “elevated street food” concept. Starting this week, the Assembly Row restaurant will launch a refreshed new menu that not only incorporates peak seasonal ingredients, but all new small and large plate offerings with Gilmartin’s signature “European-style food with assorted Asian touches.”
“As far as the new menu goes, I would call it as much an expansion as a revision,” Gilmartin says. “After being in the kitchen for a few months and getting more used to my kitchen and my team, I have realized what else we are capable of, and expanded the menu to reflect that. The additions reflect both the change in the seasons and a better understanding of our customers. Heartier and heavier dishes speak to the cold weather, but they also have to remain fun and intriguing to appeal to the tastes of our customers.”
New offerings include options like salt & pepper fried oysters with a Szechuan tartar sauce, garbure (stew with duck confit, braised pork, cabbage, beans, and bread), and “spaghetti” and meatballs utilizing ramen noodles.
“Dishes like the ‘spaghetti and meatballs,’ which features ramen noodles in place of regular spaghetti, is indicative of how I like to use various Asian ingredients as inspiration,” Gilmartin says. “I like to think of myself as a chef who cooks things that allow diners to sample new ingredients they may never have heard of before, but on a familiar backdrop.”
Three new large plate offerings being introduced include a leek and cauliflower pot pie, roasted Berbere chicken with brussels sprouts and yogurt, and a grass-fed burger that’s marinated in bulgogi and topped with spicy mayo, mae ploy, and bacon spring rolls. Take a look at the full menu below.
661 Assembly Row, Somerville; 617-616-5561 or river-bar.com.
